Gokaibi – About the Miracle of Okayama, Where It Hasn’t Rained for Several Years Oyasama (Munetada Kurozumi ) Gokaibi are the days on which Oyasama’s “Speaks”. He had decided on 2 and 7 days of the month for the monthly gatherings, and gave the sermon six times a month (Gokaibi *on 2, 7, 12, 17, 22 and 27th of the month).
However, when it began to rain during the lectures, the people who came to the lectures often began to murmur in the hall.
In Okayama, where a lot of igusa is grown, people were most afraid of rain when they were cutting and drying the igusa.
When it rained in the middle of the day, some of us would get ready to leave, and the meeting would become restless and uneasy. There were many people who still did not really understand the main intention of the path, so they would sometimes rush home, causing the meeting to become crowded with people in a hurry.
At that time, Oyasama said, “Don’t worry, everyone! It will never rain from today on. Listen to me until I tell you what I have to say! Listen to me until you feel at ease!”
The Divine Virtue of Amaterasu
As he said, even on rainy days, the weather turned out to be fine, six times a month, 72 times a year, and for several years (reportedly five years), it never rained.
For this reason, it was spread throughout the neighborhoods without anyone’s knowledge, and the people came to firmly believe in it. People began to say, “It never rains on Gokaibi,” which means it never rains on the Gokaibi.
People began to believe that there was no fear of rain, and they were able to go to meetings with peace of mind. Even on days when it was cloudy in the morning and there was a fear of rain, people would dry their sorghum in peace because today was a good day for the meeting.
However, a few years later, he suddenly thought that although it had not rained once since then, he should decline because it is truly a fearful thing to have the weather be so conveniently influenced by the weather.
Since then, it has been possible to have rain even on the day of Gokaibi.
Even today, there are many days when the weather is fine on Gokaibi. It is nothing short of marvelous that Amaterasu, through Oyasama, has demonstrated Her vast divine virtues to such an extent that even the weather of a region can be affected for a long period of time.
Thus, the divine virtues of Amaterasu are vast and boundless. Oyasama , who has brought such divine power to the Okayama region, is an existence that is beyond the scope of human beings.
The Deity’s Rarely Seen Deity’s Writing in Japan
One year, Mr. Katsusuke Fujita, a senior vassal of the Bizen clan and a student of Oyasama, came to the New Year’s celebration.
Oyasama said, “I have written the divine name you have requested for some time. I wrote this divine name with the heart of an 18-year-old. Oyasama said, “I wrote this divine name with the heart of an 18-year-old.
Fujita-sensei received it gratefully, and on his way to Kyoto, he stopped at a house in Kyoto to have his work done there, as he had just arrived in Kyoto that year. He stopped at a house in Kyoto on his way there, which was the home of an expert in judging ink color.
When I showed him the scroll, he said, “This is a truly wonderful calligraphy, probably one of the rarest and most virtuoso brush strokes of all time in Japan.
However, there is one thing I cannot agree with. It is puzzling that a person who has accumulated such great virtues should have reached the age of 20 years old.
Perhaps a person who has acquired this great virtue must be 60 to 70 years old, but this brush stroke is not above the age of 20. At any rate, it is a fearfully virtuous brush! It is said that he was amazed at the calligraphy.
On another occasion, one of his students wanted to test the value of a painting by Oyasama and asked a famous connoisseur for his opinion. The connoisseur looked at the calligraphy carefully and was greatly impressed.
I don’t think anyone since “Sugawara no Michizane” has been able to write like this. Only a person of very high virtue could have written it like this.
Masaharu Yamada, author of “Kurozumi Munetada, God-Man of the Sun,” says in his book that when he saw the hanging scroll of “Amaterasu God” displayed in the treasure house of the Kurozumi Sect headquarters, he was truly surprised by its power and elegance, and involuntarily applauded and worshiped it.
Calligraphy is a direct expression of a person’s humanity, and there is no way to deceive it. When I was young and devoted to Zen, my teacher gave me a lecture on Hakuin’s ink seki during the Edo period (1603-1868).
Among the many calligraphic works of Hakuin, there is a famous Zen painting depicting an Iron Bar, which has been a topic of discussion among Zen practitioners since ancient times.
The painting is so powerful that even if it were displayed in a living room, it would be so overwhelming that it would be impossible to keep it there.
Hakuin’s overwhelmingly powerful calligraphy was once described as “so powerful that even if it were displayed in my living room, it would be so overwhelming that I would not be able to display it. Hakuin is indeed a rare Zen master who is considered the founder of the revival of the Rinzai Zen sect in Japan.
In this way, the power of Hakuin’s works can be felt even after several hundred years, and his humanity is faithfully reflected in his writings. The handwriting of Sochu is characterized by virtue and elegance, and differs from that of Hakuin.
Emperor Meiji’s father, Emperor Kōmei, was a great devotee of Sōchū Oyasama and designated Munetada Shrine in Kyoto as the sole place of worship for him in 1885. Emperor Komei was deeply devoted to Oyasama.
The number of people who believed in the shrine increased one after another, including the Kujo family, the Nijo family, the Rokujo family, the Kanroji family, and the Tokudaiji family, as well as the nobles. Sanjo Sanetomi, who contributed to the Meiji Restoration, was one of them. This was due to the activities of his younger brother Tadaharu Akagi.
It is said that Admiral Togo, who defeated the Baltic Fleet in the Russo-Japanese War, trusted in Oyasama and fought with all his might while chanting Oyasama’s Shinto Songs in his heart.
The victory of the Battle of the Sea of Japan, a rare victory in history, was not only due to Admiral Togo’s command, but also to the blessings of God.